A Bot's Best Friend
by DesertCat87
Summary: G1: Sideswipe finds a stray dog and gives him a home. If Sunstreaker will allow it anyway.


**A Bot's Best Friend**

Sunstreaker was in a very foul mood. Prowl gave him the mountain patrol route today as punishment for the oil prank he pulled off yesterday on the tactician and now Sunstreaker was covered in mud. It had rained yesterday. On top of that, he had one long scratch down his divers side door from a tree branch and a clipped his rear bumper from the side rails. As soon as he could get himself back into presentable order, he was going to have to get his revenge on the Datsun.

Few Autobots snickered at the yellow warrior for fear of losing limbs, yet there was always a few that couldn't help themselves; like Brawn and Cliffjumper. If Sunstreaker wasn't in such a hurry to restore his natural beauty, he would have skinned them alive. That's okay, he'd get them later. He knew where they lived after all.

Finally his own door appeared in his sight as he gave a shove with his shoulder. The door didn't budge.

"Sideswipe! Open the slagging door!" Sunstreaker shouted, banging on the door with more force than what was needed.

"Wait a sec!"

Sunstreaker blinked. Was his brother hiding something? He never hid anything and any pranks Sideswipe pulled, Sunstreaker was always right next to him. He tapped his foot impatiently for a few moments, listening to things being shoved around until it all suddenly stopped and the hall became silent once again.

"Okay, com'in!"

The door slid open and the yellow twin stampeded in the room, searching for any signs of a prank. Red paint, super glue…socks. Anything. But it seemed the room was clean and Sideswipe looked amazingly innocent.

"Alright, what are you hiding?" Sunstreaker poked his twin in the chest, narrowing his optics.

"Awh Sunny, I'm hurt that you'd think I'd hide something from ya." Sideswipe grinned a little too widely for Sunstreaker's liking, purposely staying on the bottom bunk with his feet crossed. Sunstreaker moved closer, watching as his twin twitched a bit.

"What's under the bed, bro."

"Nuthin'…" Sideswipe grinned again. "Dust bunnies I think."

"Move away from the bed."

"Or what? No one gets hurt?" Sideswipe smirked, his fingers now starting to twitch along with his feet.

Sunstreaker gave his famous "creepy psycho smiles," (As many Autobots called it) before he ripped Sideswipe off the bed and dove under the bed. Sideswipe tried to get back to his feet and yank his brother out- but it was too late. He found him.

"What the _slag_ is this! And_ what is it doing here?_" Sunstreaker scrambled back as a small black dog happily bounded out, waging his tail happily at being found.

The red twin held out his hands as the little dog trotted over and jumped up on his hand. "He followed me home?"

"Uh huh," Sunstreaker scowled as his optics studied the fuzzy creature in his brother's palm. The dog was all black, with brown streaks going across his cheeks and a white underbelly. He was awkward looking, with long scrawny legs and a big barrel middle. Fat and stupid looking. Yet…kind of cute. From a certain angle.

"You have got to be kidding me. The second best warrior in the Autobot Army has a pet dog?" Sunstreaker sneered. The dog barked at him, his high pitched voice sounded like a seal.

"He was homeless…" Sideswipe tried to explain, rubbing the top of his dog's head with a finger gently. Sideswipe just couldn't leave the poor animal out on the streets, alone and it the cold. No one else wanted him after all…so it hardly seemed fair for him to leave the dog too. It wasn't the Autobot way, as Prime would say. Sideswipe chuckled at the dog's big brown eyes as he stared up at him, his long tongue hung out dumbly. Sunstreaker could have sworn the dog was smiling.

"You know Prowl wont let him stay."

"He doesn't have to know…right away." Sideswipe frowned and looked back up to his brother. "Are you telling me, you'll let him stay?"

Sunstreaker sat down next to him on the floor as the dog jumped off Sideswipe's hand and ran over to Sunstreaker, putting two paws up on his thigh. He almost wanted to push the mutt off but it looked annoyingly cute. Besides, it's not like it was going to ruin his paint. "If I get to name it, I'll let it stay."

Sideswipe blinked, "Really?"

Sunstreaker just nodded, gently stoking the dog's head with a finger as Sideswipe had done. "His name is RJ."

"What's it stand for?"

"Ratchet Jr."

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**Author's Note**: Yes, it's another one shot but I had a real need to write this out. Ya see, on July 29, 2005...I came home and my dog had passed away. RJ- who's actual name was BJ- is my memorial to him. He was a great dog and lived with me for nearly twelve years. Amazing for a dog his size. So I write this in his memory.

_May BJ be chasing those stupid tennis balls of his up there in heaven. He will be missed._


End file.
